Roots & Branches

It is March as I am writing and St. Patrick’s Day no less. Well my Irish side is smiling. It is a nice day outside, a little cold, but nice none the less. We are celebrating with green cake and Irish music.

It is amazing the effect that Irish music has on me. I remember as a little girl listening to stories that my grandfather told. He said as a boy growing up in Missouri, the Murphy side of the family, would play bagpipes and Irish music. I think that is still in my mind somewhere and whenever I hear the Irish jigs I feel it in my soul.

When working on genealogy I find it helpful to get a feel for the place I am researching. Local customs and mindsets, help to explain how the people from that area think or thought for their time. You might have a better understanding of the strick laws and customs. Any time you can put yourself in the life and times or your ancestors there is a better understanding of how they lived and who they were.

If you are Irish, you might try the following:

“Of Irish Ways” by Mary Murray Delaney. For anyone Irish or those that just love the Irish, this is a great place to start. Inside you will find Irish history, customs, literature, landscape, traditions and more. This is an older book, but the information is still informative.

“Ireland” by Lisa Gerard-Sharp is a tour book of Ireland. Festivals, abbeys, hotels, museums, castles, country side restaurants, pubs, and mars are listed for your use. The cover makes this claim: The guides that show you what others only tell you. Included are vibrant color photos and maps, along with timelines and historic information.

“Touring Ireland” (VHS) A Questar Home Video Presentation. Visit Dublin, the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, Rose of Tralee, Cork, Wexford, Galway, Connemara, the Aran Island, Donegal, and Sligo. An island of radiant greens, like that facets of an emerald, Ireland is known as the friendliest land on earth. Shrines, castles, hallowed abbeys, jigs, reels, festivals, farms, fishing villages, quaint shop fronts and more.
This video breathes the spirit of Ireland.

There are many other sources at the library on Ireland.

Stop by and check them out.

Have you ever thought “Where do I start?”
I am here to say, start with your local library. This is always a good place. Most libraries have great resources. Internet, newspapers, local history, books on genealogy, scrapbooking, photos, to name a few. Many also provide microfilm of back issues of newspapers and photo copiers.

The Sweetwater County Library System provides two databases for genealogy use, Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest.

Ancestry Library Edition is available for in-library use only. You may access this service by logging on one of the public computers or on your personal laptop. The library provides Wi-Fi wireless internet access. The database provides census, birth, marriage, death records and more. Searches are available in Historical Records, Stories & Publications, and Photos & Maps.

Heritage Quest is available in-library and from home. The database provides Census, Book, PERSI, Revolutionary War, Freedman’s Bank, and U. S. Serial Set records. You will need you library card and pin number to access the database however. To receive this information, contact the library.

I have always felt that starting with the library is an excellent place. When traveling from home I have found most libraries have phone books to help you find the city offices, cemetery sextons, and local museums. Internet is available in at the libraries in most towns and cities at small or no cost to the user. You will need to pay for print-outs.

Librarians are great reference sources themselves. Say you need to know who how to find a grandfather that lived in Green River and owned a business in 1935. Many libraries have the old business directories that you can view. Usually the proprietors of local businesses were listed and at times employees. Ask for City Directories also. If that did not work, you could try the local museum or historical society. It really helps to talk to “a local” and librarians can usually provide contacts for you.

Genealogy Societies are a great resource also. The local library can usually provide the contact information you need. You will find Genealogists are some of the most helpful people in the world. Once you find someone local, they are almost always ready to help you with your search. Have your information handy and be ready to pay for copies or faxes. It has been my experience that if they could not find the information you needed, they would ask for your e-mail address and send what they could find later. This has worked very well for me.

Take time to do your research. When ever possible, schedule time to visit with contacts, look around the town, ask questions, take photos, etc. Try not to be in a hurry. Many times when I have been visiting, people will get started and talk for a long time. What they say might not always be totally important to you, but keep nudging them back to your subject. This really helps. Be patient.

A tip I have learned is make contact cards or business cards to take and leave as you need. It is helpful to add your name, address, phone and e-mail. On the back I usually write the name and basic info of the people I am researching, just in case the local contact forgets what they have agreed to look for. It happens.

Best of Luck with your search!